The Bachelorette’s Richard: Being Dumped on TV Like a ‘Really Bad Horror Flick’

Despite receiving a first impression rose during the introduction party and spending week one in The Bachelorette mansion, Richard Mathy, a science teacher from Binghamton, N.Y., ultimately failed to have chemistry with DeAnna Pappas during a romantic dinner and carriage ride. He was dropped off unceremoniously next to the Disney Concert Hall in downtown L.A. Calling from his day job, Mathy, 27, reflected on what went wrong, how his students reacted to his national TV dumping and his shout-out for Carrie Underwood. – Carrie Bell

How did you feel watching your ill-fated date play out on this week’s episode?It was like watching a really bad horror flick. You knew the guy should not go in the basement and he just goes in the basement anyway, and he still acts surprised when he gets killed. In hindsight, I definitely realized there really wasn’t that much of a connection on both our parts.

You talked a good game of going big and taking risks for love, and then on your date you wimped out. Why didn’t you try to kiss her?The moment I realized that it wasn’t going to happen was when I kind of reached for DeAnna and brushed her hair back. I didn’t get a physical or any connection there. At that moment, I said to myself, ‘I don’t think this is going very well. I might be on a sinking ship.’ But then at other parts – there’s stuff that didn’t air – it was going so well that I didn’t want to push things.
Did you think you were going to get the rose on that date?I didn’t really want to focus on the rose. I didn’t want it to be about DeAnna and I and the rose because that made it more of a competition. I wanted the evening to be more about seeing if there were feelings there. I had mentioned to her, ‘I don’t want to talk about the rose at all.’ You pretty much go out there and show her who you are and she shows you who she is and if it clicks, it clicks. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

Was there anything you would do differently if you could go back in time? I did tell DeAnna that I didn’t bring girls home to my parents, which was a misconception because I didn’t count high school girlfriends. The couple that were serious in college didn’t get the chance to come home and meet the family. Maybe I would have described that in a little bit of a different light. Recently my relationships haven’t come to meet my parents because it’s such a huge thing. I don’t want my family to get attached to someone that isn’t going to be around five years from now.

Who is your pick for the final two?I don’t know who to put money on, but I’ve got to root for the two other first week villa guys, Jeremy and Jesse. We got to bond right away because we moved into that house the first week.

So you were one of the only non-Jeremy haters in the house. Did he get a bad rap?Jeremy is a great guy; one of the most sincere I’ve met in awhile. I think what happened with Jeremy was we moved into the house right away and we got to bond. The guys in the outhouse got to bond. There was a disconnect between the two groups. The rift got larger and larger. With him staying in the house for the second week as well, it didn’t give him any chance at all to explain that he was goofing around. To meet him the way I did, he is absolutely a sincere down-to-earth guy. I think the world of the guy.

Did being a teacher help you manage the Bachelorette household in any way? No, but hanging out in a house full of 25 guys is very similar to teaching 25 freshmen.

How did your students find out about your stint on The Bachelorette, and what has the reaction been considering it began airing before school let out for the summer?The kids were great. After the premiere episode, I heard quite a few quotes in the hall of things I said the first night. Even the day after I was dismissed, they were great about it. They were so excited that someone from their little town was on national television.

What’s you dating status currently?Not currently dating anybody. But I hear Carrie Underwood is single, so if anybody knows her number and wants to send it my way, that’s cool. I’ve just got to get my kids through their end of year exams right now.
CRAIG SJODIN/ABC